The present invention relates generally to floormats and, more particularly, to an ergonomic, disposable, anti-fatigue floormat. Among other applications, this invention is directed to improving ergonomics in surgery or other human tasks that require prolonged static postural positioning such as standing in one location for prolonged periods. Specifically, mats of the present invention are designed to allow surgeons performing open surgical procedures, a method of significantly decreasing musculoskeletal workloads and long-term musculoskeletal fatigue during such surgical procedures.
It has been well documented through medical ergonomic studies that healthcare professionals who spend a significant amount of time in a static posture experience substantial stress to the musculoskeletal system. This stress is directly related to lower extremity fatigue with concurrent effects extending up the human body through the lower extremities, lumbar region, head and neck region, as well as shoulders and upper extremities. This static postural stress related fatigue phenomenon has been well documented by surgeons, dentists, as well as in nursing healthcare professionals who are assisting as part of the operative team.
Numerous types of floormats have been described for commercial, and industrial uses. Mats have also been designed specifically for use in the operating room. Most all prior mat descriptions, however, have been for floor protection and/or to allow absorption of fluids. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,468 is directed towards a permanent surgical mat with a disposable covering. The permanent floormat described is a polyvinyl chloride foam mat, which is compressible. The outer disposable cover of the permanent mat is suggested to be polyethylene or other similar type polyester material, which then seals around the main nondisposable mat. Anti-static and/or anti-microbial solutions can be injected into this permanent mat. Despite the outer covering which is disposable, the permanent mat must be cleaned in accordance to HCFA (Health Care Finance Administration) and JCAHO (Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations) requirements creating a difficult situation. In addition, the polyvinyl chloride foam is a compressible material and offers limited ergonomic advantages. This has been demonstrated through the work of Cook (Journal Biomedical Engineering 1993, Volume 15, pp 247) through EMG studies.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,173,346 describes a foldable sponge mat for surgical application. This mat was designed specifically for absorbing fluids from the operating room floor. This mat is composed of a cellulose-based material to allow for fluid absorption and was not designed for ergonomic properties. The mat was designed for permanent use. However, the mat apparently must be discarded following its expansion with the absorption of fluids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,580 discloses another absorbent floormat not designed specifically for operating room use. Its applications were described for building entryways, laboratories, and hospitals where there is high traffic area likely to bring in water, dirt, and other contaminates. This disposable mat is not ergonomically designed.
Mats designed in ergonomic fashion for musculoskeletal relief have been described for the industrial setting. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,945 describes an anti-fatigue floormat composed of heavy rubber or plastic with interdigitating tongues around its perimeter allowing an interlocking connection with other mats for extended configurations. These are heavy duty, perforated permanent mats, which, due to problems with handling and sterility, are not applicable to the operating room environment.
Accordingly, there is a need for an ergonomically designed, completely disposable mat that specifically reduces musculoskeletal fatigue associated with prolonged static posturing such as those experienced during open operative procedures.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an ergonomic floormat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an ergonomically designed surgical floormat whose purpose is to decrease musculoskeletal fatigue in human beings during prolonged static postural stress.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a surgical floormat intended for disposal use.
The present invention accomplishes these and other objects by providing a surgical mat offering significant ergonomic, musculoskeletal stress relief for, among others, surgeons, dentists and nursing healthcare professionals who are assisting as part of the operative team. In accordance with one aspect of the invention a noncompressible floormat system was designed utilizing a laminated construction of polyethylene and polypropylene closed cellular foam and bubble materials. This noncompressive floormat design allows specific anti-fatigue factors through dispersive noncompressive forces.
In another aspect of the present invention, the mats can also include more commonly recognized properties such as being anti-static which is an important feature when the mat is employed during use with electronic equipment. Additionally, mats of the present invention also can include anti-slip or skid properties such as by employing a low-tack adhesive material on the surface of the mat. This mat is also completely disposable and designed for one-time use only. While designed for the operating theatre, this mat may find application for commercial or private use as well.
In yet another preferred aspect of the invention, a surgical floormat is provided having a preferred embodiment of layer(s) of a non-foam, air bubble-shaped, closed cellular material which significantly increases the Indent Force Deflection (IFD) properties of the mat, maximizing its anti-fatigue characteristics.
In another preferred aspect of the invention, the surgical floormat comprises layer(s) of polypropylene foam with anti-static characteristics.
In another preferred aspect of the invention, a surgical floormat is provided which utilizes a polypropylene thin foam material as a covering to allow a high coefficient of friction. The properties of this material offer a slip resistant surface that is readily moldable, is heat resistant, and is able to accept printing and labels for informational data.
In yet another preferred aspect of the invention, the mat may be constructed by centering smaller layers on top of larger layers to create a gradual elevation (pyramiding effect) allowing for a beveled perimeter which reduces the potential tripping hazard associated with walking and working on a slightly elevated work space.
In yet another preferred aspect of the invention, the mat has an adhesive bottom layer for temporary positioning and repositioning of the mat reducing the potential for tripping and slippage during its use.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the materials of the preferred embodiments disclosed can be used in combination and in different quantities and orientation to allow for an ergonomically fatigue reducing mat for use in the operating theatre and that the mats of the present invention are not restricted to that use. For example, mats of the present invention, may also find wide application in the private commercial industrial setting where musculoskeletal relief from fatigue created by prolonged static postural stress can occur.
The present invention is designed to improve medical ergonomic stress patterns in, among other places, the operating theatre. A noncompressible surgical floormat with a high Indent Load Defection (ILD) has been designed, consisting of multiple layers of alternating laminated materials, including layers of noncompressible polyethylene and polypropylene close cellular foam and bubble materials, to prevent complete compression while being stood upon by human beings. This mat has been designed to reduce the well documented occupational hazards for healthcare professionals while performing open surgical procedures as well as other medical and dental forms of patient care. These health risks are due to prolonged standing and awkward body positions secondary to static postural stress, which leads to significant musculoskeletal fatigue.
In addition, in a preferred embodiment, the surgical mat is specifically designed for use in the operating theatre and to be totally disposable. The materials and construction of the mat have been selected for their ergonomic efficiency as well as their relatively low costs to allow for usage in a disposable fashion. The disposability of the mat after a single use eliminates the problems associated with permanent-type surgical floormats, assuring elimination of contamination from one case to the next as well as assuring all JCHAO and HFCA operating room requirements. This mat is also designed in such a way to be anti-static, to allow its use around electrical equipment commonly employed in the operating room setting. The floormat can also have a tapered, beveled perimeter edge so that the mat cannot be easily kicked or scuffed to minimize tripping. A beveled perimeter edge also facilitates moving equipment over the mat, if necessary, although rolling equipment over the mat is not recommended. In addition, the bottom surface of the mat can have a low-tack adhesive material covering part or the entirety of the base, which allows for further adherence to a room floor such as an operating room floor. The invention can be simply disposed of with all other contaminated objects by the nursing staff at the conclusion of each case.
Preferably the mat is water-resistant and is not designed for absorbing bodily fluids or irrigants from the floor per se. While this anti-fatigue surgical floormat was designed for use by healthcare professionals in the operating theatre, its ergonomic characteristics may find applications in other private and/or commercial settings as well. This floormat may come in a variety of sizes and/or shapes to accommodate various surgical operating rooms or other environments.